BY ALAN SHERROD From Shakespeare to TV sitcoms, the trials and travails of eccentric families are a common theme of comic and tragic literature. One would be hard pressed, though, to find a more perfect example in the theatre…
Review: Poetry in Pugilism – ‘The Royale’ at CBT’s Jenny Boyd Theatre
BY ALAN SHERROD Is there poetry in pugilism? Admittedly, boxing isn’t necessarily the first vehicle that comes to mind when one thinks of a poetic and lyrical battle against systemic racism. Yet, that battle that moves far beyond fists,…
Next for CBT at the Jenny Boyd Theatre – ‘The Royale’ by Marco Ramirez
Next up at CBT’s Jenny Boyd Theatre—The Royale is Marco Ramirez’ fictionalized story inspired by the legendary real-life black prizefighter and first African-American heavyweight boxing champion, Jack Johnson. If this sounds vaguely familiar, elements of Johnson’s life were previously explored…
Review: ‘Cabaret’ and Its Tale of Caution Opens CBT’s New Jenny Boyd Theatre
BY ALAN SHERROD Opening night in most any theatre is a special occasion, one that bristles with the nervous excitement of performers—and audiences—high on anticipation. However, when that opening night is also the opening of a new theatrical venue,…
Review: A Clarence Brown Theatre Tradition Refreshed — Dickens ‘A Christmas Carol’
BY ALAN SHERROD It is fair to say that our Christmas season today would be vastly different had Charles Dickens not treated us to the novella masterpiece that is A Christmas Carol. The work influenced and popularized many of…
Review: ‘The Harvest’ at Clarence Brown Theatre’s Lab Theatre — Seeking Stability During Times of Change
Faith can be a safe haven for many of us, providing answers to life’s tough questions and a community to lean on. But just as often as it offers such answers, it can provoke just as many questions. This questioning is at the heart of Samuel D. Hunter’s 2016 play ‘The Harvest’, where a young man wrestles with the death of his father, his broken family, his faith, and his sexuality. ‘The Harvest’ runs through Nov. 9 at the Clarence Brown Theatre Lab Theatre.
Review: CBT’s ‘Sense and Sensibility’
Although there is peril in describing the current attention devoted to English novelist Jane Austen as a mania, that seems like an almost unavoidable conclusion. From the popularity of Jane Austen Regency Balls, Jane Austen Festivals in the UK and the U.S., not to mention a plethora of film and television projects in addition to the literature itself, the author’s fanbase is arguably second only to The Bard in the 21st Century. The fact that 2025 is the 250th anniversary of Ms. Austen’s birth has only added fuel to the fire of that attention.
A Glimpse Ahead: 2025-26 Knoxville Music and Theatre Season
Waiting anxiously in the wings for its entrance cue, the 2025-26 season of theatre and music is yet another one packed with classics and new works—gems of both history and the latest efforts of playwrights, composers, and authors. Subscriptions to…
Review: Clarence Brown Theatre’s ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’ Roars With Laughter
BY ALAN SHERROD In the Clarence Brown Theatre’s production of The Play That Goes Wrong, the question confronting audiences is not whether they will laugh at the breathlessly farcical goings-on in this parody of British murder mysteries, but whether…
Review: CBT’s ‘Failure: A Love Story’ — Whimsical and Wise
BY ALAN SHERROD Equal parts existentialism and comically whimsical narrative, Philip Dawkins’ Failure: A Love Story, which opened last week in the Clarence Brown Theatre’s Lab Theatre, is a feast of storytelling that barely hides its comically abstract premise…